We are forced to have a windows machine for the business because BofA uses Cypersource for Merchant services. Hate windows! Macs are so easy and I have never had a virus.
I prefer the Big Mac to the Mafia Burger.
I have MS Office for Mac. It is different from the on for PCs.
I have MS Office for Mac. It is different from the one for PCs.
My son just got a Mac. It runs Windows 7 quite well.
If you want a computer that has the least problems and you do not ever want to open the case, get the Mac.
But you will be very limited in what it will run or do. For example almost no CCTV software will run on a mac, nor will it do active X. And the windows emulation software is a joke.
It will run office, internet, cad, & graphics wonderfully, but only on its own software.
You’ll be amazed that MS Word for Mac (if the newer versions are similar to all the older versions I’ve used) is a much better program on the Mac.
Adium is a wonderful (free!) program for chat and replaces Instant messenger and other chat programs.
I use CyberDuck (FREE!) for ftp.
I use FireFox for web surfing. I haven’t really liked Safari so much, but other folks do. It’s all what you are used to.
There is a new Microsoft Office (2011) coming out for the Mac October 26th. I’d wait for it - Office 2008 isn’t that great. I didn’t upgrade from Office 2004. I didn’t find iWork to be worth it - not so compatible when you go between Windows and Mac a lot. Some people like Keynote better than PowerPoint. I didn’t like Entourage - found my Outlook file exports didn’t convert well. I use the Mail program that comes with the Mac instead. Some folks seem to like Thunderbird for email, but it had problems with the setup of one of my email accounts.
I’d also say to get as much RAM as you can with it. The operating systems with Mac are trim and snappy, and you will be able to keep the machine longer than you would for a comparable Windows laptop, so you will want to have the RAM for the future.
I have a Mac Mini and love it. Have fun with your Macbook!
Once you go Mac, you’ll never go back.
How close are you to an Apple store? They have “Switchers” workshops every weekend.
Open Office (http://download.openoffice.org/) is free and does everything that MS Office does for $150 less - at least for the things that I need to do - Word formatting the same, Excel functions and macros work, Power Point looks the same.
Warning, Snow Leopard is buggy by apple standards, especially if you are using Firefox as a browser, but then some times if you’re using Safari too.
My son is in the internet world...and has made a ton of money doing this.
Right now he has a software development company he started as well as another start up or two he works on as a sideline. He has written the code for more than one business on his MAC.
I asked him the same question when I needed a new laptop - my Thinkpad was dead - and he told me to get a MAC. Got water on my previous MAC - my bad - so now I’m on #2 and wouldn’t think of changing. I use Office for MAC sometimes but mostly this is internet/email.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Using a 2007 Macbook to type this one. I’ve recorded & released 2 music CD’s with it. I’ve burned countless CD’s & DVD’s with it. It still boogies down the road perfectly.
I’d recommend Open Office and if you have further questions freepmail them to me.
Did it three years ago, and I’m still happy. You don’t necessarily need MS Office unless you need absolute compatibility with others. iWork is great, and Neo Office (Open Office for the Mac) does the job, but is not as good.
If you NEED Windows stuff, you can either use Boot Camp to dual-boot Windows (my easiest Windows install ever) or get Parallels or VMWare Fusion to run Windows virtually. Either does a very good job at it. These days I only run it for my Windows development and network testing. I have everything else taken care of with Mac software.
Oh yeah, do not load up the memory from Apple. It comes with 2 GB, and that will work for most things (OS X is not a memory hog) unless you do virtuals or other specifically memory-demanding applications.
In any case, Apple charges too much for more memory, $100 to go to 4 GB. You can get 2x2 GB chips from Newegg for $85, then you can eBay your 2x1 GB chips to make a few bucks back.
Instructions on how to add memory here http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1651
The internal hard drive’s not too hard to replace either, but that may get you some warranty problems.
Dowwnload, Firefox browser. Some government (an other websites) still don’t support Safari. Firefox will let you navigate and fill out forms.
Download Flip4Mac. This will allow you to play audio/vids that may be coded for Windows only.
Download DivX. A good format for watching streaming movies.
Buy an external HD to plug in occasionally for the TImemachine back-up. (you don’t want to lose the extensive iTunes library that you will, no doubt, accumulate.
Get the Mac, don’t look back. It’s the best computer money you’ll ever spend.
I rarely chime in on these threads, but I’ll lend my 2cents.
I have a MacBook Pro. I use it to write and edit, and I also produce and edit professional video using Apple’s Final Cut Pro software. I record and edit podcasts using Apple’s GarageBand software. I design for print, video and the web using Adobe’s Creative Suite. In short, my professional life is on my laptop.
Since I got this computer in January of 2009 (new job) I can count on my fingers the number of times I’ve rebooted it, usually because Apple asks me to after it installs a software update. I’ve never had a virus or a worm or a hack attack. I’ve never lost a minute of work due to a crash. Every night, I simply close the lid at the office, and open it when I get home. It boots instantly. When I get to the office in the morning, I connect it to an external hard drive and run the Time Machine software that was on it when I got it. I have incremental backups going back... at least 9 months... I haven’t looked because I’ve only needed to recover one file in all this time, and that was my fault for deleting it
Incidentally, I work in an all-PC office. I’m the only Mac. Granted, I’ve been using Macs for years, but the only way the IT guy would go along with me having a Mac was if I installed a virtual PC. I put VMWare Fusion on it and he installed MS Office. He hasn’t touched it since, nor has he had to.
In the last couple of years, I’ve invited and encouraged a bunch of people to use Macs and every single one of them has had the same reaction: “I wish I’d done this years ago.”
Ignore the FUD, get the best Mac you can afford, and never look back.
I switched to a Mac for a few days then went back to Windows. Windows 7 is exceptional. I fail to see what this fuss is all about. I wish I could nuke the town of Cupertino to help this fad go the way of the hula hoop